Hanyou Futago
by Sakura Okada
Summary: This is the story of a young hanyou named Sakura during the final volumes of Inuyasha. Note: some events will not follow with the manga's timeline
1. Chapter 1

"Kagome, hurry up, will ya?" Sakura complained impatiently from the bottom of the stairs. She brushed her ebony hair out of her face and watched as girl with bluish black hair came bolting down the stairs.

"Sorry!" she gasped out. Sakura shook her head dismissively.

"This is what happens, when you stay up all night watching TV..."  
"Hey! I missed a lot while I was gone, Ok?!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Well, thanks to you, we're going to be late..." She shifted her backpack and walked out the door with Kagome a few feet behind her. After a long pause of silence, Kagome spoke up.

"Hey...are you going to be busy after school today?" she asked timidly. Sakura glanced at her over her shoulder, a bit weary.

"That depends...why?"

"Well...it's just that Inuyasha's coming to take me back to the Feudal Era and... -"

"Sorry. I can't. I have something to do today." Sakura said...almost too quickly.

"Oh come on. Inuyasha actually seems interested in meeting you..." Kagome said.

"Yeah, well I'm not. Some other time maybe." Sakura retorted harshly. Kagome caught on and dropped the topic. It always ended like that.

Sakura waved goodbye when they reached the school; they were both in different classes.

"Morning Sakura!" a bright perky girl said from her seat. She was pretty, with short curly blonde hair and shocking emerald eyes. Behind her sat a boy with brown hair and blue eyes. Sakura could see a wrapped parcel at his feet. She smirked and sat across from them.

"Morning, Airi, Houjou." She said courteously.

"Oh. Hi Sakura. Do you know if Kagome's feeling better today?" Houjou asked curiously.

"Yeah. She's here today. "Sakura replied, uninterested. He smiled slightly and glanced at the parcel she'd noticed. "I assume that's another gift for Kagome...?" she asked, faking curiosity.

"Yep. It's really helpful for arthritis pain..." He said.

Sakura shook her head, laughing quietly. Airi quickly changed the topic.

"So? Did you have that dream again?" she asked excitedly. Sakura thought about it for a moment.

"Yeah. It wasn't any different from before..." She said. Airi seemed disappointed.

"Aw...I was hoping you'd figured out what's going to happen to that girl..." She said quietly. Sakura shrugged and turned towards the board as the teacher came in. She was starting to regret telling Airi about that dream. There was no point in finishing it cause she already knew how it would end.

The next morning, Sakura walked to school alone, since Kagome had gone back down the well again. She still couldn't understand how Kagome could like it there. Then again the Higurashi family seemed to have a strange obsession with the mythical.

She wandered towards the park, suddenly feeling uninterested in going to school. A sharp pain ran through her as she walked into the wooded section of the park. The seals here always had that effect on her. As she ventured towards the shrine in the very back, she'd adapted to the pain. It was a very old shrine, probably from the 1400's, and was in bad disrepair.

'Strange...being here again...' she thought.

The next second she heard a crackling noise from behind her. She turned around to see a small shrine come into view; a sutra covered the door. In that same instant, it caught fire and the doors were flung open.

She leapt backwards to avoid the debris. A large demon stood in front of her. It vaguely reminded her of a Minotaur in Greek myths, with dark grey skin and beady red eyes.

"Boy, aren't you an ugly one." Sakura said in disdain. "I can see why they'd seal YOU away..."

The creature roared and struck the ground where she'd been standing with its fist. She landed behind the demon and slowly lured the creature back towards the shrine.

"Come on, ugly, just a little closer..." she coaxed mockingly. It tried to attack her again. She pushed off the ground hard and leapt over the demon's head by a good extra 3 feet.

She mumbled something under her breath, and made a slicing movement through the air with her fingers. Golden blades of energy struck the demon from behind, and blood erupted from the wounds. She aimed another attack as a carefully chosen tree, and the wooden pillar crashed down upon the demon.

She leapt over the tree, not caring to look at the corpse, and walked towards the shrine.

'Good. It wasn't damaged at all by that stupid oaf...' she thought, genuinely relieved.

"Your skills haven't deteriorated much over the last 11 years," a voice said from behind her; she turned around. A figure stood a short distance away, dressed in scaled-down black samurai armor. A white mask covered the person's face, and long bright red hair flowed down to the person's ankles.

"Don't you believe it's time for you to go 'home'?" the person asked. Sakura frowned.

"No. I have no connection to that world, not anymore."

"He is still alive. You are aware of that, aren't you?"

Sakura hesitated for a long moment, debating. Her hand went to the chain around her neck, and tightened around the item concealed beneath her shirt. "Yeah. I...I know that..." she said. Her tone surprised even her. It had been a long time since she had said anything with real emotion.

She glanced back at the stranger, but no one was there. Sighing, she walked out of the park and back towards Higurashi shrine. Her mind was in a daze as she wandered around Tokyo aimlessly for hours; it was well past suppertime when she arrived.

"Sakura, where have you been?!" Ms. Higurashi asked scoldingly. She dropped her bag near the front door and took off her shoes.

"Sorry. I got distracted," she mumbled as she walked into the kitchen. Sota and Kagome's grandfather were already eating. "Well...you two don't seem like you were too worried." she said pointedly.

"Sorry...we were hungry, sis." Sota complained. Sakura said nothing as she sat down at her usual spot and absently poked the food with her chopsticks.

"Are you not feeling well, Sakura? Would you rather have some soup instead?" Ms. Higurashi asked.

"No thanks, Mom. I'm just not very hungry." Sakura mumbled.

"Do my ears deceive me?! Sakura, not hungry? This has never occurred before! What's bothering you?" Kagome's grandfather asked.

"Nothing, Gramps." Sakura replied, slightly annoyed.

"Grandpa's right. Normally you eat enough for an army." Sota added.

"Are you trying' to call me a pig?! I'm telling' you, nothing's wrong! It's..." she paused. "It's just that I've been doing some thinking, and...I've decided to go home for a bit."

"Home? You mean down the well?" Gramps asked incredulously.

"That's exactly what I mean." Sakura replied tonelessly.

Sota looked surprised too. "But sis...you said you hated it there!"

"I do...but, there's something I need to look into." she said quietly. 'I always thought that he was alive...but to have confirmation...' she thought. 'I need to find out for sure...if he's dead or not...' Suddenly, she saw Ms. Higurashi leave the room. She got to her feet and followed her upstairs, and then into her room.

"Mom..." Sakura started to say.

"I always knew that you'd return to your old home one day. I just didn't think it'd be so soon..."

"It's been 11 years, mom..."

Ms. Higurashi laughed quietly. "And it's getting harder for you to pose as a 15 year old..." Sakura was laughing too. Ms. Higurashi turned and handed Sakura a folded piece of cloth. "You were so adorable when you first arrived here, dressed in your cherry blossom kimono. So I had another made for when this day came. It suits you better than our clothes do."

Sakura smiled, and went into her room to change. Almost reverently she held up the kimono. It was a pale pink, with sakura petals and golden spirals all over the cloth. It didn't seem fit for travel.

Nevertheless, she put on a plain white kimono first, and then Ms. Higurashi's.

After throwing a few necessary supplies into her now travel backpack, she headed back downstairs. She said goodbye to each Higurashi in turn-hugging Gramps, ruffling Sota's hair, and kissing her adoptive mother-and then ran out of the house, not daring to look back, and risk changing her mind.

She pulled open the shrine doors and leapt into the well, and allowed that world -and the identity she'd faked in it- to vanish behind her.

End Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2

It was already dark out when Sakura climbed out of the well. She was surrounded on all sides by dark silhouettes, and the only escape was the starry sky above her.

'It's just as primitive as I remember...' she thought glumly. Shifting her bag, she looked up at the moon; it was at its halfway mark. From there she headed north, towards the distant mountains. 'If I'm going to find him, then I should probably start at home...'

Then she took off running. This was one of the few things she enjoyed about being "unique". Everything seemed to soar past her, blurred and distorted by the speed. It had been ages since she'd had the freedom to sprint like this. She briefly thought back to the track stars in her P.E. class back in the future. They wouldn't dare to call her slow, if they could see her like this.

Of course, that was forbidden. To attract the attention of mortals was asking for death. That's what he used to say anyway...

Her thoughts were interrupted as the ground shook violently beneath her; strong enough to knock her backwards into a tree. Her attention went to a mountain in the distance, barely obscured by the trees. Large clouds of debris were rising around it, and she could see clusters of creatures flying away from the decaying mountain. It only lasted a few moments, and then there was nothing left.

She stared at the still rising clouds of dust, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Did she just watch a mountain collapse?

She attempted to shake off the shock and continue on her way. If it didn't directly affect her, then there was no point in thinking about it. It didn't even occur to her that she was being followed.

High above her, a young woman watched her from the skies. Her black hair was in a hasty bun and green jade earrings dangled from her elfin ears. Her piercing red eyes reverted from the white bundle in her arms to the girl on the ground.

"Grab that girl, Kagura." the "bundle" said. She ignored him briefly. Why would Naraku be interested in this girl? She looked like a simple mortal.

"I said, grab her." the bundle said again. Kagura sighed and swooped down upon the girl. She didn't even have enough time to look up, before she was pulled onto the feather and taken up into the air.

She started to fight back, but her voice froze mid-word. Kagura had placed the bundle in her arms. Looking down she could see a tiny white haired baby smirking up at her, his pale lavender eyes glistened wickedly. Sakura tried to throw the infant away from her, but her body wouldn't respond.

'Don't bother resisting...' the infant said, but the words seemed to be resonating from her own mind, not from the child. Her eyes grew dim, and then she could remember nothing else.

Kagura glanced back at the girl, surprised that she had succumbed so easily. Then she sped off towards the eastern mountains.

End Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

She could feel the pain slowly returning, and Sakura forced her eyes open. She was lying on the floor of a one-room structure; the sun was visible from the large window. A large wind entered the room and Sakura growled as the woman from the night before landed gracefully on the floor in front of her. She watched Sakura, almost curiously, tapping her fan on her shoulder.

"Oh…you're conscious…" she said, uninterested.

Sakura frowned.

"How long have I—"

"Several weeks…"

She looked around for the new voice, and saw a young boy sitting in the corner. He resembled the infant from before she blacked out, except he was much older.

"You've been unconscious for several weeks." He repeated. He looked over at a large yellow wasp twice the size of Sakura's hand. "Naraku will be coming here soon. Kagura, I want you to keep an eye out for them. Tell me when they arrive."

Kagura huffed and then flew out on a feather.

"What is your name?" the boy asked tonelessly. Sakura didn't respond. "Answer me. I asked for your name."

"Sakura." She couldn't prevent the word from coming out. The instant the order was given, she couldn't do anything but answer.

Kagura suddenly re-entered the room. "They'll be here in a matter of minutes, Hakudoshi." She announced coldly.

As if on cue, a pink sphere appeared in front of the window and came into the room. A man stood inside, and Sakura could only assume that this was Naraku. He had long, wavy black hair and cold violet eyes, the same as Hakudoshi's. Bone white plates covered his chest and curled around his shoulders. There was a red eye on the chest plate, and Sakura could see two more, one on each hand. He wore a sky blue jacket, puffy black pants and black boots.

"Heh. So…you're Sakura." He said; his voice was deep, but wispy at the same time. Sakura scowled.

"You're Naraku?" She asked hesitantly.

"Oh…you've heard of me…"

"Just now."

"Hakudoshi has informed me about you." Naraku said, getting to the point. "Therefore, I have a proposition for you…there's, something that I need you to do for me…" Sakura looked briefly surprised but didn't let down her guard.

"You…need my help?" she asked hesitantly.

"Correct, and in return, I will help you in locating your brother."

Sakura was silent for a moment. She could remember Kagome mentioning that there was someone else after the…'Shikon Jewel shards' but she couldn't remember the name. And she was fairly certain that it wasn't 'Naraku'. There was no reason not to trust him…at least not so far. "…Alright…" she said.

Naraku moved to the side, and Sakura realized that there was a boy standing behind him. "The boy is named Kohaku. He will…'assist' you." The boy struggled to conceal his emotions before the man turned to face him. "Do everything Sakura tells you." Naraku ordered coldly.

"Yes." He replied blankly. Sakura looked at him curiously, but decided not to question it, until later.

"You will be assisting Hakudoshi in luring out a priestess, by the name of Kikyo." Naraku said. Sakura turned to look at the white haired boy. He had a malevolent smirk on his face, one that made the hairs on the back of Sakura's neck stand on end. Still…she didn't seem to have much of a choice in this.

"Fine." She replied, shrugging slightly. She walked towards the Kohaku. He moved away from her, but the action was so discreet, no one noticed except for her. The sphere moved around her and the boy and carried them out of the hut. Hakudoshi turned to Naraku, almost disapprovingly.

"Are you sure it's wise to let her go off like that?" he asked. "Isn't that almost too easy?"

"It doesn't matter. Whether she co-operates or not, we will be seeing her again…I have plans for this 'Sakura'." Naraku said.

Sakura looked over at the boy beside her. He was trying to avoid her gaze, she could tell. 'What's his problem? We're on the same side, but he's acting like I'm the devil's incarnate…' she thought in annoyance. "What's your deal? I'm not going to eat you, or anything…" She grumbled.

"You're a demon, aren't you?" he asked suddenly. Sakura looked at him blankly.

"I'm pretty sure we already know the answer to that one, genius." She said coldly. The boy looked away, and she huffed in agitation. Two could play this game.

Kohaku eyed the girl nervously. She seemed harmless, but that could easily be a trick. His father had warned him about those kinds of demons many times in the past. He felt a sharp pang of guilt in his chest and quickly tried to bury it. He managed to recompose his face by the time Hakudoshi joined them.

"Let's go." he said.

"I take it you already have a plan for how to lure out this 'Kikyo'?" Sakura asked.

"That's right. And there should be some nearby..."

"Some what?" Kohaku asked, almost reluctantly.

"Zushi Nezumi." Hakudoshi answered. Sakura cocked her head in a gesture of confusion, bus she remained silent. Kohaku frowned, thoughtful, and followed him off towards a village.

When they arrived, there was no one around, but the ground was littered with human bones. Kohaku backed away in shock, where as Sakura's expression remained unchanged.

"Looks like we've already found our rats..." she said. Kohaku frowned at her uncaring tone and quickly pretended to be adjusting his shoulder armor when she turned to look at him. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Let's go, Kohaku." Hakudoshi ordered.

"Yes." Kohaku replied as he followed him into the destroyed village. Sakura wandered around, searching for something she could use as a weapon. She had been in the archery club back at their school-Kagome had thought it was a waste of time- but she also had some skills with a sword. After she found one of each that still seemed usable-she had a feeling that she was going to need both weapons for this 'mission'- she went back over to where Hakudoshi and Kohaku were.

Kohaku came out of the house last, carry a large shrine. Sakura ran over to him and tied the handles shut with a scrap of cloth from her bag.

"The last thing you want is for that thing to open, trust me..." She said as she tightened the knot. "Would you prefer I carry it?"

"I can handle it." He replied quickly, and then walked off. Sakura shrugged and followed them out of the deserted town and back into the trees. They didn't stop walking until it was well past midnight.

"Rest here." Hakudoshi ordered as he walked on. Sakura dropped her bag near a tree as soon as he was out of sight.

"Man, I haven't traveled like that in years..." she said contently, then looked over at Kohaku. "You holding out ok? Are you used to traveling like this?"

Kohaku glanced at her for a moment and then looked away. Sakura sighed. "You're a stubborn one. Why do you keep acting like you hate me? We're on the same side, remember?"

"We are not." Kohaku said quietly. Sakura looked confused but he didn't let her talk. "Why are you taking orders from Naraku?"

"You were there. I help with this, and he'll help me find my brother. That's all there is to it." She fished around in her backpack for a moment. "Could you get some firewood?" Kohaku didn't answer, but he got up and walked off into the woods.

'Man...what's with that kid? I wonder if he hates demons...but then, why is he with Naraku? He's obviously a demon...' she frowned as she pondered the answer. 'I guess I'll have to ask him about that later, once I can get him to do more than just interrogate me...'

She got everything out of her bag by the time he got back. he started attempting to start the fire, but she tossed in a match; the branches almost immediately caught flame. Kohaku eyed her suspiciously.

"What? It's faster than rubbing two sticks together..." she said. she selected two Styrofoam cups from among her supplies and poured hot water into each one. "Here. Eat up." she handed him a cup and chopsticks.

"What is it?" He asked warily.

"Ramen. It's easier to carry around and it lasts longer. Try it."

Kohaku eyed the pale yellow noodles warily before taking the chopsticks and slurping a large mouthful. "It's...really good." he said in amazement before taking another mouthful. Sakura grinned.

"Told 'ya." she said. They ate in silence for a while before she spoke up again. "So, how come you're with Naraku?" he looked up at her warily. "Hey, you questioned me; now it's my turn."

"I...don't really remember." He said quietly. "I've just...always been serving...'Master Naraku', I don't know what I was doing before then."

"You don't remember your parents? Or if you had any siblings?"

"No."

Sakura sighed. "Well, that's depressing. Tell 'ya what. If you really want to remember, I'll help you out." She grinned teasingly. "After all, a good whack on the head cures most amnesia cases..."

Kohaku looked nervous. "I thought that CAUSED amnesia..."

Sakura laughed at his worried expression and then finished off the rest of the broth in her cup. "Finish up, and then get some sleep. We may only have a few hours before we have to get moving again." she said.

With that, she leaned back against a tree. Kohaku finished off the ramen and then got comfortable on the ground.

"Thanks...uh..."  
"My name's Sakura."  
"Thanks, Sakura."

She smiled to herself, and then let sleep overtake her.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Sakura looked on from the cliff as Hakudoshi lowered the shrine to the ground below them. Kohaku watched on nervously as the doors creaked open and swarms of rats scattered across the area.

"Those things are the Zushi Nezumi?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah." Kohaku said. "They devour human flesh, and can wipe out a village in a matter of minutes. That's what happened to the village where we found the shrine."

"You seem familiar with these demons, Kohaku." Hakudoshi said.

"It's just stuff I've heard other people say, I've never seen one until now." He replied. Sakura continued to watch him, almost curiously. Something seemed off about his expression.

The rats continued to pour out for what seemed like hours. Sakura stretched in boredom, and then leaned over to watch. "There's no end to them, is there?" She asked. Hakudoshi chuckled.

"They will never end. The rats will scatter and devour all the humans, until there is nothing left…"

"And you believe that this will bring Kikyo out of hiding?" Kohaku asked. Hakudoshi looked over at him lazily.

"That's right. I'd almost forgotten. I suppose she'll show up sooner or later, once she realizes what is happening." He said.

Sakura watched a brief flicker of disgust cross Kohaku's expression. She could relate; the idea that hundreds of people were being devoured disturbed her as well.

A few minutes later, Hakudoshi got to his feet and hovered above them. "She's finally revealed herself. Guard the shrine; and don't close the doors." Then he vanished. Sakura looked out again and watched the swarms.

"There must be thousands out there!" She said, amazed. "What the point of letting MORE out when Kikyo's already come out of hiding? It just seems like a waste of time, if you ask me…" Kohaku grumbled under his breath. While Sakura was distracted with the rats, he walked over to the shrine and reached for the doors; he paused when he heard buzzing near his head.

He looked up and glared at the Saimyosho, hesistant on what to do.

"Kohaku!"

He and Sakura looked up as a large yellow cat flew towards them; a woman and a monk were riding on its back. 'She's wearing the same outfit as Kohaku…is she a relative?' Sakura thought.

"Kohaku…" the woman said; sounding pained. "On my way here, I saw so many villages devoured by rats…how I wish…that you were not a part of this…" Kohaku stared up at her, hurt now as well. He started to speak, but then forced himself to stop.

"I can't disobey…my orders…" he said. The woman readied her large boomerang-like weapon, and lunged at them.

"KOHAKU!!!" She shouted angrily. Sakura reacted instantly, and fired an arrow at the woman; it struck her in the shoulder and knocked her to the ground.

"Sango!" the monk shouted in alarm.

Sakura loaded another arrow. "Take the shrine and run!" she ordered Kohaku. The boy hesitated, and then closed the shrine and ran with it on his back. Sango got to her feet and ran after him. Sakura tried to hit her with another arrow, but the monk blocked her attempt.

She drew the sword and blocked a strike from his staff. He grunted as she drove him backwards; she channeled her demonic aura into the blade and through the staff, zapping the monk.

His resolve collapsed when he saw something happening behind her. She took advantage of his hesitance and struck him with her blade. The monk let out of a cry of pain as he stumbled backwards, clutching his bleeding shoulder.

She moved back when she saw something off in the distance; the rats were returning. The monk pushed her aside and removed a string of beads from around his uninjured arm.

"Wind Tunnel!"

Sakura watched in amazement as the rats were pulled from the ground and sucked into the vortex in his hand. He couldn't get them all, thought. Sakura cringed in pain as the rats climbed up her legs. She zapped them the same way she had the monk and watched in horror as more came from the corpses.

"Don't kill them! It only makes them multiply faster!" the monk shouted to her.

Sakura stared at him in bewilderment, until she heard a pained cry from behind her. She turned, almost in slow motion, and watched in horror as Kohaku was buried beneath the rats.

"Kohaku!" she shouted in alarm as she ran to aid her friend. The rats caught up to her and held her down as they crawled up her body. She no longer cared to heed the monk's warning, and started killing the rats off in agitation.

"Sakura?!"

She turned and saw a young silver-haired man dressed in a bright blood red kimono running towards her; Kagome was riding on his back. She was staring at Sakura in horror and disbelief.

"Sakura is that you?!" she shouted again. Sakura didn't respond and leapt out of the pile of rats and ran towards where Kohaku was buried.

As she neared him, an arrow shot out of nowhere and struck the shrine. She looked up and saw a priestess standing a short distance from her. Two young girls stood with her, one at either side. She stared at Sakura for a moment in what seemed to be curiosity, and then walked away. Sakura's gaze remained where she'd been standing.

"Inuyasha! Destroy the shrine!" the monk shouted.

Sakura's head jerked back to the silver haired boy. He ran past her and struck the shrine with a large sword that vaguely resembled a fang. The shrine fell into two halves, and the rats slowly dissipated. She looked around and spotted Kohaku unconscious on the ground, the woman- Sango- was on top of him, in an attempt to shield him from the no longer existent demons.

He came to, and the leapt away from Sango, limping slightly. Sakura ran over to him to help support him as they were lifted off the ground by Hakudoshi's barrier.

"Kohaku, who is that woman? Why did she save you?" Hakudoshi asked. Sakura looked over at him, disturbed to see that he was just a head.

"I don't know." Kohaku replied. He glared at Hakudoshi when he thought no one was looking. Sakura could hear Sango still shouting Kohaku's name, and then the noise slowly faded away as they were carried upwards into the sky.

"Ow!"

"Sorry!" Sakura said automatically. Kohaku flinched as she tightened the bandages on his arm. Hakudoshi had left them to fend for themselves while he recovered. "So…did you know that 'Sango' lady" Sakura asked as she put rubbing alcohol on another wound. Kohaku shook his head slowly. Then his control snapped and he lashed out. Sakura grabbed his wrist and restrained him until he gave up on hitting her.

"Why did you shoot that arrow at her?! Were you trying to KILL her?!" he shouted at her angrily.

"She was trying to kill YOU, kid. Besides…" she took out a handful of the arrows in her quiver; Kohaku's eyes widened when he saw that none of them had heads. She upended the container and the stone flints scattered on the ground. "It would've only taken me a matter of seconds to rebuild one of these. If I wanted her dead, then she would be right now. Why are you getting so…?" She paused as understanding flickered in her brown eyes. "You know that woman, don't you, Kohaku?"

He hesitated, and then looked down at the fire between them. The reddish gold embers were dancing around the contained inferno, carried about by the cold evening wind. Finally he looked back up, but he couldn't bring himself to look Sakura directly in the eyes. "Yeah. I know her. She's my older sister." He said at last.

"Your sister? Then…why did she attack you?" Sakura asked in confusion.

"It's a long story." Kohaku evaded.

"Hey. I'm stuck here until Naraku comes. I've got time."

Kohaku frowned and then let his gaze wander back to the fire. "My sister and I were from a family of demon slayers. Whenever a demon got 'out of hand', we'd go take care of it and stuff. My first job was to help get rid of a spider demon that had been attacking a castle. And…I got 'possessed' by the demon. My father, sister and two of our friends were there with us, and…"

He didn't have to explain that part. Sakura could figure out that much on her own. Kohaku took a deep breath before continuing.

"When I came to, I could remember anything. Naraku…erased my memories, and asked me to serve him. I didn't get back my memories until recently." He said quietly. Sakura watched him sympathetically.

"I see…that's why you were so distrusting of me before…"

"Yeah…sorry about that." He said sheepishly. "So, what's your story? I heard Naraku mention that you were looking for your brother…?"

Sakura frowned. "This is going to sound strange, but…I don't really remember him all too well. There was a fire, and…I guess I must've banged my head trying to escape, and then I woke up a good distance away. Its'…it's not really like amnesia, but there are certain parts that aren't too clear…" she glanced over at the dark silhouettes, lost in her thoughts. "We were pretty young when we got separated, so other than a few general facts-like the fact that I have a brother- I don't really recall enough to describe him."

"What about your parents?"

"My father was killed when I was a baby, and our mother died in the fire where my brother and I were separated." Sakura replied.

"How old were you when you got separated?"

"We were both six."

"He's your twin?" Kohaku asked.

"Yeah. But that's about all I can tell you." Sakura said quietly. Now it was Kohaku's turn to look sympathetic. Sakura laughed quietly. "Don't look like that. It doesn't bother me all that much anymore."

Kohaku frowned. "If he's really your twin, then he should be pretty easy to find! All we have to do is find a male version of you!!" he said confidently. Sakura looked at him for a moment and laughed.

"I don't think it would be that easy, but I appreciate the enthusiasm." She gazed out again. "You know…my village actually isn't too far from here. This is around where I woke up…" she mumbled.

"It's close by?" Kohaku paused for a moment. "Do you want to visit? It might be a while before Naraku needs us again!"

"It burned down a long time ago. I doubt there's anything left to visit." Sakura said bluntly.

"But if you go there, you might remember something! And who knows? Maybe your brother will be there!!" Kohaku said enthusiastically. Sakura was silent for a long while, clearly debating whether or not to bother.

Finally she sighed. "Alright. Tomorrow." She said at last before leaning back against a tree. "G'night, Kohaku."

Kohaku smiled slightly and curled up on the ground. He mumbled "good night" and then let sleep overtake him.

~End Chapter 4~


	5. Chapter 5

Kagome watched the continuously flickering flames with growing anxiety. Everything seemed to be spiraling out of control. Sakura- who was as much a friend as a sister- had turned on them and joined Naraku. But why? Inuyasha was lost in his thoughts as well. His grip tightened on the Tetsusaiga before he dared to speak.

"So...that girl...she was that friend you were always talking about?" he asked cautiously. Kagome pulled her knees up to her chin and nodded. He huffed slightly and glanced back over at the hut where Miroku and Sango were chatting inside. "Well, from what happened today, it looks like she's joined up with the wrong group..." he said in annoyance as he tossed another log into the hungry flames. "Are you sure this Sakura would have no reason to join up with Naraku?"

"I'm positive. Sakura hasn't been here since she was little. There's nothing she could possibly gain from this!" Kagome protested.

"I would have to agree with Lady Kagome." Miroku said as he came out of the hut. He was covered in bandages from the wounds dealt by the rats. Sango was behind him, and had the same mummy-like appearance. "When I fought against Miss. Sakura, it was obvious that this was all a first for her. It didn't seem like she was even aware of what the demons she was dealing with were capable of."

"So what's your point? That none of this was that brat's fault!!" Inuyasha snapped in irritation.

"All I'm saying is that Naraku might be controlling Sakura, in a similar fashion to how he's controlling Kohaku." Miroku said.

"If that bitch had a Shikon Jewel shard, then Kagome would've sensed it!!" Inuyasha retorted back angrily.

"Did you sense anything unusual about her, Lady Kagome?" Miroku asked, seeming to ignore Inuyasha's presence. Kagome was silent for a moment, debating everything she could remember, and then shook her head no.

"See? There's no explanation for what happened except that she did it on her own." Inuyasha said triumphantly.

Kagome sighed and returned to staring at the flames. She didn't remember noticing any significant auras, but that didn't mean that Naraku wasn't doing something to Sakura. He had to be controlling her somehow, or at least that's what she was hoping was the reason. Cause she couldn't stand to think that Sakura was really capable of this.

"Sakura, wait up!!"

The black haired Hanyou turned and leapt down from her ledge back onto the mountain pass 20 feet below her. She landed beside Kohaku, who was hunched over trying to catch his breath. She raised an eyebrow in disdain.

"Geez, you're pathetic, Kohaku. We haven't even gone half-way yet." Sakura complained.

"When you said, it was just past the northern mountains, I didn't think you meant we'd have to hike the whole stinkin' range!!" Kohaku protested. Sakura folded her arms over her chest, and looked at him sternly.

"Well, what did you think I meant? I gave you a chance to back down, y'know. And you might wanna keep it down, before you cause a rock slide."

"As if I could cause a rockslide!!" Kohaku shouted angrily. The ground shook beneath them and Sakura pulled Kohaku back onto the ledge she'd been on before just as a cascade of rock struck where they had been standing. Kohaku stared at the crumbling pile in disbelief, while Sakura's was a mask of triumph.

"What have we learned?" she asked in a taunting singsong voice.

"No yelling on a mountain pass."

"Good human slave!" she said happily as she clapped him on the back. He turned around and glared at her.

"Since when did I become your slave?" he asked in irritation, still using too much volume.

"Does the idea of being crushed to death beneath boulders appeal to you for some reason?" Sakura asked. Kohaku didn't answer, but she could tell that he was watching the loose rock above them warily. She sighed quietly to herself. Sometimes humans were a pain in the neck. Especially human kids. She grabbed Kohaku's arm again and pulled him onto her back slightly as she leapt up the mountain face.

"Sakura, what are you-?"

"You said you were getting tired. And I'm faster than you anyway." She said bluntly. She didn't bother to look back at him; her attention was focused on avoiding loose rock. She leapt from one ledge to the other, and let Kohaku down when they reached the other half of the pounded out road. "There. Now was that so bad?" she asked. Kohaku didn't look up at her.

"You're fast..." He mumbled in disbelief.

"That's because I'm a half demon." She said slowly, as if explaining to a mentally challenged person.

"You don't really look like one, though..." Kohaku retorted.

"Really? Did you assume that all demons are ugly or something?" Sakura asked. Kohaku didn't respond. "I'm using my demonic aura to disguise my appearance. A lot of demons can do that."

"What do you look like for real?" He asked.

"Kinda like this, but with a few adjustments. I just prefer this appearance." She scowled at him. "You're nosy, for a kid." She started walking ahead again. "Come on, we need to get across by nightfall. Or we'll be easy targets for demons."

"But...if they did attack us, you could fight them off, right?"

"Yeah, I could, but I would prefer not to get bloody." She said bluntly. Kohaku shrugged and followed her down the path.

She stopped walking, but only briefly, before pulling him towards a bush on he side of the road.

"H-Hey! Do you ALWAYS have to yank me around?!" Kohaku whispered in angry protest. She covered his mouth with her hand, in case he decided to say more.

"Sorry, but you're slow on the uptake." She slowly left his side and went back out. "Stay out of sight. If anything happens, quietly sneak away. DON'T run, no matter what."

"What's going on?" He whispered to her anxiously.

"Just stay out of sight." Then he couldn't hear her anymore.

"Sakura...?" he called out nervously, hoping to at least hear her tell him to 'shut up', or something, but nothing happened. The silence was unnerving. All he could hear was his own frantic heart beating loudly in his chest. What was going on?

Finally he couldn't' take it anymore and slowly crept out from behind the bush. There was no one around. He pulled out his chain blade, just in case, and walked down the road following Sakura's faint footsteps.

Sakura grumbled under her breath as the wolves stalked closer. She should've known that the Northern tribe wouldn't let them just cross over. There were no 'human wolves', though, and that surprised her a little. Normally, the wolves didn't attack passerby without being ordered; unless these were rouge.

He hand slowly went to the katana in her obi, watching the wolves cautiously. None of them seemed too willing to get near her, which actually gave her the advantage.

"Sakura?!"

She turned swiftly as Kohaku ran into view. The wolves saw him as well, and several ran towards him. Kohaku let out a panicked cry and futilely swung his chain blade at the wolves. Sakura growled through clenched teeth.

"Damn, you IDIOT!!!" she leapt over the wolves and pushed him out of the way of a wolf's teeth. "What are you doing here?! I told you to stay put!!" she shouted angrily.

"I was worried that you were in trouble!" Kohaku protested.

"Well now we're both in trouble, dumb ass!"

"Hey! You don't have to curse like that! Next time, I won't care in you're in trouble!" he shouted, angry now too.

"You realize that I decide whether or not you get a 'next time.'" Sakura said coldly, before turning to slice a wolf's throat. Kohaku stared up at her in disbelief, as if not comprehending the meaning of her words. His pondering was interrupted as a wolf tackled him to the ground, and bit down on his arm; an involuntary cry of pain escaped him as the animal's fangs tore through the fragile mortal flesh. Something flashed above him, and then the weight was gone. "Geez, you're more trouble than you're worth kid." Sakura grumbled from above him.

She grabbed him roughly by the arm, ignoring his pained moan of protest and leapt away from the wolves. "Lone Slash!" she shouted as she sliced through the air with her fingers. Flame red blades slashed through the wolves, leaving ruined, shredded corpses. She scowled as she ran further up the mountain pass.

Great...I got blood all over my kimono. She thought in annoyance as she inspected the crimson stains on her sleeve. And now I have to deal with the bleeding human brat. I think I liked it better when he wanted nothing to do with me.

She continued on at full speed, now that she didn't have to deal with his constant complaining, hoping that she could clear enough distance before the rest of the tribe found out about the little killing spree. The last thing she needed was more wolves to deal with.

Kagome yawned from near boredom as her group slowly trudged down the forested path. She hardly slept at all the night before. All she had been able to think about was Sakura, and what possible explanations there were for her alliance with Naraku.

"Give it up, Kagome. The girl's a traitor, and there's nothing else you can make from it." Inuyasha grumbled from behind her. He was sick of watching her trying to figure out something that obviously couldn't be "figured out".

"No. I know Sakura better than you do." Kagome grumbled. "I...I think it might have something to do with her brother."

"Her brother? How lame! Can't she come with a better excuse than that?" Inuyasha grumbled as he walked ahead of her. Kagome scowled.

"Just because your relationship with Seshoumaru sucks, doesn't mean its wrong for Sakura to care about her brother." She said with a reprimanding tone. Inuyasha looked over at her, raising one eyebrow.

"Then do you know anything about this brother of hers? Have ya met him?" he asked challengingly.

"Well...no...Sakura said she doesn't remember much about him." She said quietly

"Then why would he have anything to do with her joining Naraku?"

Kagome stopped talking to him. There had to be some sort of logical explanation for why Sakura was doing this. She always had a good reason for anything she did.

I just can't give up hope on her...Sakura will pull through...Kagome thought.

Kohaku felt a spray of ice cold water hit his face and he sat up with a jolt. He was lying beside a river. To his left, he could see a small hill, with one tree at the top.  
"Oh. You finally woke up." Sakura asked from beside him, sounding a little annoyed.

Kohaku felt the anger returning. "I was just trying to help!" he said, sitting up too quickly, and was rewarded with a sharp jab of pain as he put his weight on his injured arm.

"Don't do that unless you want to make it more painful." Sakura scolded. She pulled out a small metalic can from her bag and sprayed the wound. Kohaku braced himself for the stinging, but nothing happened. Sakura saw his startled expression and laughed. "It's pain free." she explained.

"What is it?" He asked, looking at the can like it was the weirdest thing he'd seen in his life.

"Disinfecting spray. Just think of it like herbs in a can." Sakura replied. She quickly tied some bandages around his arm and then stood up. "Come on. The village is just over that hill." She said. Kohaku looked over at it.

"Weren't we still in the mountains before? How'd we get here so fast?" He asked. Sakura turned to look at him.

"Half demon." She said pointing to herself, as if that was the answer to everything. "It's easier for me to travel when I don't have to go at your pace. So thanks for fainting."

Kohaku blushed in embarrassment and then followed her up the hill. It wasn't very steep,but by the time they reached the top, Kohaku was still tired. He looked around for only a second before his eyes widened.

Beneath them lay the burnt ruins of what had once been a village. Piles of burnt lumber and stone lay scattered around the three mile circle of scorched earth. No vegetation dared to grow on the ruined ground, the only signs of life were the hill they were currently standing on, and the faint line of trees a few miles away from the last pile of debris. As he stared at the ruins he thought he could still see ancient smoke rising from the piles. He dismissed it as a trick of the light. Sakura started down towards the village.

"Come on. Let's get going." she said to him from over her shoulder. She realized after a moment that he wasn't following her; he was still staring at the destroyed town. "I told you it burned down. Now let's go. I see a shed's still standing. We'll stay there for the night." She said. Kohaku shook away his shock and ran to catch up with her.

As they entered the town, small white whisps of light rose up from the piles of rubble. Kohaku instinctively moved closer to Sakura as they became encircled by the lights.

"Sakura...? What are those?" He asked. Sakura didn't look at him or the lights.

"I think they're human souls. Probably the villagers." she answered. Kohaku stared at her and then noticed that the souls were mainly circling her. Sakura was either unaware of this or didn't care. After a while she spoke up again.

"There's the shed. And perfect timing, the sun's going down." She said. Kohaku looked past her at the 'shelter'.

It was an insult to even call the thing a shed. It looked more like an awkward pile of sticks that had somehow managed to remain standing by some miracle. Briefly he wondered how it had managed to survive the fire. It looked like the perfect thing for the flames to eat up first. As they drew closer, Kohaku noticed that there was something strange around the hut, but it was too faint for him to tell what it was. Sakura pulled open the door and looked inside.

"Good, it still looks stable." she said with a pleased smile. Kohaku was about to question her sanity when she turned to look at him and his courage caved. "My brohter and I used to hide here when the villagers got 'violent'. A friend of my mother's put a seal around the shed so no one could get in expect for me, my brother, and people we invited."

She motioned for him to come in, and he followed with reluctance. Once inside, he saw that the shed was actually rather well built. The poor outside appearance was just a facade. Though why it had been done was something he couldn't understand. Sakura quickly set up camp and handed him his food just at the moon became visible through the only window.

"Hey, Sakura...why did you hide here?" he asked between mouthfulls of ramen. She didn't look at him.

"I told you. The villagers used to get violent a lot so we had to hide somewhere. Here was always a good spot." she answered.

"I meant why would you need to hide? It doesn't make sense. I mean, this is your home." Kohaku said.

"We weren't welcome here. My mother came here after my father was killed. The villagers despised us, and used to beat us whenever they managed to find a opportunity. They summoned some Demon Slayers one time." Sakura said. Kohaku felt a pang of shock...and guilt. "Half demons have never been liked. By other demons or humans." She said. "It's just how things are."

"I don't hate you because you're a demon." Kohaku said honestly. Sakura looked at him for a moment and then laughed.

"Maybe you're a defective human." She said teasingly. He laughed too.

"Yeah, maybe. I'm going to sleep now..." he said after stretching a little.

"Alright. Good night." She said as he curled up on the ground. She leaned back against the back of the shed and looked out at the moon. It was full tonight, and glowed with a faint silver blue light. She smiled and looked down at her hands. Her talons were gone now. They were regular human hands now.

_I'm glad we made it to the village in time..._she thought with a relieved smile. She glanced over at Kohaku, who was sleeping peacefully. Even he couldn't know about this. Kagome had been the only person who'd known about what the full moon did to her. That was probably a bad thing now.

She frowned at that thought. Why was it bad now? She and Kagome had been buddies for years. Why did it feel like they were enemies now? Was it because of Naraku?

_Naraku...why am I even working for him...? _she thought to herself. She tried to think of a logical reason, but nothing came. She worked for him just cause she did. There was nothing else to it. For some reason, that satisfied her, and she gave into sleep.

The next morning, Sakura was forced awake as huge gusts of wind tore through the shed. Kohaku was nearly lifted off the ground, and he held onto a loose floor-board.

"What the heck's going on?!" he shouted in panic. Sakura shielded her eyes from the wind, and looked out the window.

Kagura was standing outside the shed, looking around in disgust. "Why would you go to _this_ place?" she asked as Sakura and Kohaku came out.

"This was my home village. I thought it'd be nice to visit." Sakura said bluntly, sounding offended. "So what's up?"

"Naraku has something for you to do." Kagura said, tapping her shoulder with her fan, looking rather bored.

"Alright. Kohaku, get the stuff." Sakura said. He nodded and then ran back into the hut. After a few minutes he came back out with Sakura's backpack, struggling under the weight. She took it from him and swung it over her shoulder with ease. Kagura took a feather off her hair ornament and they soared off into the skies. They flew for only about an hour before she landed.

Kohaku hopped off first. "Naraku wants you to hunt down the nests of the parasitic nymphs, the _Sanagi_. Destroy them by any means necessary." Kagura said. Kohaku nodded with a forced blank look on his face. Sakura started to get off too but Kagura stopped her. "This is for Kohaku only. Naraku has something else for you to do." she said. Sakura looked like she wanted to protest but chose to say nothing. Kohaku smiled at her apologetically and then ran off.

Kagura took off again, heading for the mountain manor. They landed inside; no one seemed to be there. As soon as Sakura stepped down, she caught an object that had been thrown at her. It was a sword.

"That's yours now." Hakudoshi said. "It's called the Hitosaiga. A demon called Kaijinbo forged it."

Sakura unsheathed it and examined the blade. It was a well made sword, but it gave off a strange demonic aura.

"I want you to use that on your assignment." Hakudoshi continued. Sakura looked back at him.

"And what would that be?" She asked warily.

He smirked evily. "I want you to kill Inuyasha." he answered.


End file.
